Comparisonitis

Luke 18:10-11(NLT)

V. 10 Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax-collector.

V. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: “I thank you, God, that i am not like other people – cheaters, sinners adulterers. I’m certainly not like this tax collector.

Galatians 6:3-4(NLT)

V. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

V. 4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.

Comparisonitis can be fatal. Many wars have been fought because of it, people hate each other because of it.

Nations are divided because of it.

Comparisonitis – The need to compare yourself, the need to broadcast your accomplishments to others. Not just from a person but also from people groups, ideologies, religions, ethnicities, social statuses, and others.

If you are on a job or a business and you have standards that you have to meet that’s different.

You may have quotas or goals that must be reached, your success is based on how you treat your customers and your quality of work, that’s different..

But even in that just be and do the best you can without having this obsession to be better than others.

In this society. so many people or people groups, wanting to be right, we have created this angry culture.

Comparisonitis has divided us so much. God never meant for all of us to be the same, but we can get so made web folks don’t think or act like us.

Diversity embraced is unity achieved. Embracing diversity doesn’t mean that you are for everything, we shouldn’t get upset at other people’s opinions, and other people shouldn’t get upset about our opinions.

We are all un this together.

Dr. Martin Luther King quotes:

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“In a real sense, all life is inter – related.

All men in inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny”.

The rich shouldn’t despise the poor because they are poor, and the poor shouldn’t despise the rich because they are rich.

Body Shaming. – The action of mocking someone by making critical comments about the shape, size, or appearance of their body. We should never bodt shame others. Even if we think we look better than them, we should never look down on others or compare ourselves to for the purpose of shaming.

Body obsession – Fanatically preoccupied with the physical appearance, going to great lengths to change and preserve a particular body shape, weight, or size, including dieting, excessive exercise, steroids, and surgery.

The only reason we should show concern for our bodies is for our own personal health, appearance, and quality of life, not for what we feel others think we should look like. We should have people we look up to for inspiration but we are all in our personal journey.

Comparisonitis can cause us to:

1. Buy houses we can’t afford

2. Buy clothes we can’t afford

3. Buy jewelry we can’t afford

4. Think less of ourselves.

5. Think less of others

6. Hate certain people groups

7. Join hate clubs

None of us were made any better than others, none of us are made any lesser than others.

Our value only really increases when we treat other people with respect.

I believe Jesus is the way, I’m on team Jesus, but I try to treat everyone with respect, I have friends of many different religious and political beliefs.

Psalm 139:14a(NKJV)

I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

We should never think less of ourselves, we can accomplish so much more than we may think, others may seemingly be inwardly better than us but they may just work harder, put in the work, never compare your journey to others, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Comparisonitis only creates division and hate, Comparisonitis can be fatal.

Remember, you are awesome.